THE GREATEST SPORTING COMEBACKS
Great Sporting Comebacks of the last 100 years
One of the main attractions of sport spread betting is the uncertainty and unpredictability of top class sport. There is no such thing as a ‘dead cert’ and even when a team, player or even horse looks dead and buried, there is still the chance that they could defy the odds. Throughout history, sports betting enthusiasts have witnessed incidents and events which have stunned the world of sport. Here are just five of the greatest comebacks ever seen in the sporting arena.
Blackpool’s 1953 FA Cup Final
Blackpool met Bolton in one of the most memorable FA Cup Final’s of all time in an encounter known as ‘the Matthews Final’. In May 1953, Stanley Matthews, possibly the greatest winger of all time, was just shy of 40 and got to Wembley for the third time in six seasons. However, all he had to show for his efforts to date were two losers’ medals, so there was no way he was going to leave Wembley that day without his hands on the FA Cup. This was his last chance.
Yet, before the strains of Abide with Me had fully died down, Matthews and his Blackpool side were a goal down. Lofthouse gave Bolton the lead in the 2nd minute and only a post prevented him from scoring a second in the 20th minute. Even though Blackpool equalized in the 35th minute, they were behind again within minutes and trailed 2-1 at the break. The game was virtually put to bed 10 minutes into the second half when Bell headed home Bolton’s third and surely winning goal. Yet, with 22 minutes to go, Blackpool mounted one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history.
Stanley Matthews produced one of the great twenty minute spells of football ever seen. He immediately delivered an unbelievable cross for Mortensen to give Blackpool a glimmer of hope. Yet, for all his skill and brilliance, Bolton still led 3-2 with just three minutes to go. However, Mortensen completed his hat-trick with a thumping free-kick from twenty yards to incredibly give Blackpool a chance with extra-time. No. They didn’t need it. Another dazzling Matthews run ended in a sublime cut back for Bill Perry to grab a fairytale winner. There was bedlam at the fulltime whistle and even the most ardent football betting fanatic would back against the new Wembley playing host to such scenes again.
Red Rum’s 1973 Grand National win
You don’t have to know much about horseracing to know that Crisp had the 1973 Grand National won a long way from home. Yet, he was eventually reeled in by a horse who went onto become a racing and not just Aintree legend.
Crisp shared the early pace with Grey Sombrero and seemed to be loving the Aintree fences. His jockey Richard Pitman later said that he had never jumped Beechers Brook so smoothly on any horse before. As they completed the first circuit, Crisp and Pitman led Grey Sombrero by six lengths and the rest of the pack by a further 20 lengths. Then, when Grey Sombrero fell at the Chair, Crisp was left out all on his own. The pace was furious and none of the field could stay within touching distance. None except for a horse called Red Rum who soon led the distant pursuit.
However, with two fences to jump, Red Rum was still the best part of 30 lengths behind and being hard ridden. After jumping the second last, Crisp and Pitman slowly began to run out of gas. For the first time in the race the leader was sending out distress signals, but still he held a commanding advantage. Yet, Red Rum reeled in his enormous lead and eventually just got up two strides from the line in the most thrilling National finish ever.
England’s 1981 3rd Test win against Australia
When England arrived in Headingley for the 3rd Ashes test against Australia in the summer of 1981, they were in a mess. Not only were they 1-0 down in the series, Ian Botham had just resigned as captain and this was Mike Brearley’s first game in charge. The cricket betting market had Australia as overwhelming favourites. To make matters worse, England began woefully and Australia were able to declare at 401/9 and put England in. The hosts responded with a dismal 174 all out and were asked to follow on. They eventually finished the day on 6 for 1 and were a massive 221 runs still behind the Australian first innings total. Even the 500/1 offered by the bookmakers that night on an England win looked too short.
The next day things got even worse as the hosts were reduced to 105 for 5 when Botham walked out to bat. As his partners fell away, Botham was left with England 135/7 with the end in sight. Even the most optimistic cricket betting fanatic would have given up hope at that stage by ‘Beefy’ defied the odds, producing one of the greatest innings of all time to end on 149 not out to give England a lead of 124. Australia floundered in the chase and after Botham took the first wicket cheaply, Bob Willis skittled them and eventually finished with figures of 8-43 as England won sensationally by 18 runs.
Dennis Taylor’s 1985 World Snooker title
Dennis Taylor produced one of the greatest sporting comebacks of all time when he beat Steve Davis to win the 1985 World Snooker Championship. Davis began in devastating fashion and although he allowed Taylor a fifty break in the opening frame, he led 7-0 at the interval. Humiliation beckoned for the man labelled the underdog by the snooker betting public as he soon trailed 8-0 and it wasn’t until 8.15pm that he won his first frame. Davis only needed the green to go 9-0 up, but Taylor cleared after the miss and eventually trailed 1-8 amidst huge roars from the crowd.
Even though Davis won the next frame to make it 9-1, Taylor began to rally and won six on the trot to make it 9-7. The following day, the players exchanged frames in one of snooker’s most memorable battles. Davis kept on pulling away only to be reeled in again by the battling Taylor. Taylor levelled to make it 11-11 and then Davis won the next two frames to take a 13-11 lead. In a race to the 18th frame, Davis was inching closer, but Taylor wouldn’t lie down and soon levelled at 13-13. Davis went 15-13 up only for Taylor to level again and the Champion was visibly shaken when Taylor recovered from 17-15 down to level at 17-17. The greatest final in the history of the game was going to a deciding frame.
However, the real drama had not even yet begun as the final frame lurched and stuttered to its conclusion. Taylor took the early lead, but Davis led going into the colours. In fact, his fluked Green meant that he was suddenly 18 points ahead with just 22 available. Taylor needed all the remaining balls to win and soon there was only the black left. At 23 minutes past midnight, the black was eventually sunk and Taylor completed one of the great comebacks in sporting history.
Manchester United’s 1999 European Cup Final
The European Cup has been the stage for many teams to defy the football betting world and come back from the brink of defeat. The 1999 final is arguably the greatest example.
Manchester United scored two injury time goals in the final in Barcelona to beat a Bayern Munich side that had led for 85 minutes. Mario Basler had caught United keeper Peter Schmeichel off guard early on from 25 yards to give the Germans a 1-0 lead. Amazingly, the Germans seemed to have held off a spirited United in the final quarter of the match and Ferguson’s men looked well and truly beaten as the fourth official signalled 3 minutes of injury time. Then came the comebacks of all comebacks…
Teddy Sheringham dramatically equalized on the turn from around eight yards out to guarantee United at least another 30 minutes of extra time to find a winner. However, they didn’t need it. Almost immediately from the restart they attacked again and Sheringham flicked on Beckham’s corner to find Solksjaer who smashed the ball into the back of the net. The Munich players were left lying all over the pitch, many in tears. United had won it in the most dramatic fashion possible.
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